When the University of Glasgow opened its Crichton campus in Dumfries, the people studying there were not the same as before.
At that time, one of its main goals was to offer college education in a place where people usually had to move away for that.
After 25 years, the focus has changed and now it has staff and students from over 40 countries.
Attracted to the classes available, how do they feel about living in the southern part of Scotland.
Noura Seada, 32, is from Giza, Egypt, near the pyramids, but she found something special at Crichton that she couldn’t find in her home country.
She said she got a masters degree in Egyptology and now she wants to study something about sustainability because there are no programs about it in her country, but there are many about tourism.
“Many people love to visit Egypt for vacation, but we don’t always think about how to protect the environment while we travel there. ”
She found the perfect course in sustainable tourism and now she is happy to live in a place that is very different from Egypt, which is loud and crowded.
But she still hasn’t tried a new type of cooking.
She said, “A lot of my friends have told me about haggis, but when I learned what it is, I decided not to try it. ”
“I want to try vegetarian haggis sometime. ”
Sreekumar Vattekkattu Pradeep Kumar, 21, is from Kerala in southern India and is studying how to manage environmental risks.
He thinks Dumfries is a great place to live.
“He said that it’s not really about the location, for him it was the program that made him decide to go to university. ”
I am willing to live anywhere if I am interested in what I am learning.
However, he sees some things that are the same as his home.
“I live in a very isolated village in India, so I really like the peaceful atmosphere here,” he said.
“It’s super peaceful and a great place to hang out. ”
Aimee Becker, a 23-year-old from Austin, Texas, was interested in the sustainable tourism course in Dumfries after doing various hospitality jobs.
“I saw how trash was thrown away and not much was being done to protect the environment,” she said.
“That’s when I found a program in Dumfries that matched exactly how I was feeling, so I decided to choose that program online. ”
She said the town was better than she expected.
“It has all you need, but in a smaller size,” she said.
“It’s been enjoyable and relaxing, so you can take it easy if you want, but there are still things to do if you like to stay busy. ”
I like the parks and the people in the area. It’s my favorite part.
Another student, Swathi Sreeja Prashanth, 23, from Kerala, India, chose to attend the University of Glasgow because her brother was studying there.
“I checked out other places, but when I saw the opportunities and the campus, I decided to choose this one,” she said.
She likes how things are not rushed in southern Scotland.
“It’s much quieter and more peaceful here than where I come from,” she said.
“India is really busy and there is a lot going on – when I arrived here, it felt really refreshing. ”
“I like being in Dumfries because it’s peaceful, the people are friendly, and it’s surrounded by nature. ”
The amazing seasons in Scotland were a bit surprising. She said it took a long time for her to get used to the weather.
The weather can change quickly from sunny to stormy to snowy. You never know what it will be like. In India, it doesn’t snow, so it’s like a really extreme weather condition here.
‘Very different’
The head of the campus, Prof Fabrice Renaud, said that there are many different kinds of people at the Dumfries campus and they have made it better.
“For 25 years, the University of Glasgow has been in the town and we are happy to be a popular university for the local community,” he said.
“We have seen an increase in international students choosing our campus because they like the programs we offer, in addition to our focus on our local community. ”
“We have created a special collection of things based on top-notch research and using the area around us. “